Tucson Dog Bite Lawyer

Tucson Dog Attack Attorney

Dogs are incredibly popular pets in Tucson and throughout Arizona, and while most people are fortunate to only have positive experiences with pets, the reality is that dogs can easily inflict traumatic injuries on a person.

Some dog attacks are provoked, and dogs act in self-defense or in defense of their owners and their homes, but others are entirely unprovoked, and it is possible for a dog with no known history of aggression to suddenly lash out unexpectedly.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Dog Bite Claims in Tucson

If you or a loved one recently suffered injuries in a dog attack, the owner of the dog is likely liable for your damages. Arizona enforces a strict liability rule that applies to any dog bite.

As long as the victim did not provoke the attack and they were legally present at the location of the attack, strict liability applies. This may sound straightforward, but navigating any civil case can be far more challenging than you may initially expect.

It is vital to have legal counsel you can trust if you intend to file any type of personal injury claim in Tucson. The right attorney can help prove liability for your damages and secure as much compensation as Arizona law allows.

Dog bites can be tremendously harmful, both in terms of the physical harm and the psychological trauma the victim experiences. The Bleaman Law Firm, PC, is ready to provide the comprehensive and detail-oriented legal counsel you need in this situation.

We have helped many Tucson-area clients with a wide range of personal injury claims, and we can apply this experience to your case.

Understanding the Importance of Legal Counsel for Your Dog Bite Claim

It is possible to file a civil claim for damages against another party without an attorney. There are no laws requiring you to hire legal representation, so you can pursue your claim on your own if you so choose.

However, you must acknowledge the risks you would face in doing so. Any civil claim will require meeting strict procedural requirements with the court, and any missed filing deadlines or other errors may jeopardize your ability to recover compensation.

Additionally, even if you are able to succeed in holding a defendant accountable on your own, you could overlook crucial details and settle for less compensation than you legally deserve.

Hiring an experienced Tucson dog bite attorney helps you to avoid these risks and makes handling your case much easier. Instead of contending with the court’s procedural demands while also managing your medical needs simultaneously, you can rest with peace of mind and focus on your recovery as your legal team manages your case for you.

When you hire Bleaman Law Firm, PC, to represent you, we will carefully review the evidence pertaining to your case, examine the scope of the damages you suffered, and help determine the optimal path to recovery as fully as possible.

Injuries Possible in a Dog Attack

When most people think of dog attacks, they immediately think of bite-related injuries, but this is just one possibility. Any dog is capable of inflicting severe harm to a person in many ways. A few commonly cited dog attack-related injuries that start personal injury claims include:

• Dog bites can cause tearing, severe bleeding, or even crushing injuries and nerve damage. Bites are also a primary vector for disease transmission if the dog has any communicable diseases. When a dog latches on to a victim and thrashes, they can easily cause incredibly traumatic wounds.
• Injuries from claws. Dog claws, especially those of large dogs, are capable of causing deep lacerations and puncture wounds.
• Traumatic brain injuries. A large dog could knock a victim to the ground, causing a traumatic brain injury with the fall. Any traumatic brain injury has the potential to cause severe long-term or permanent medical complications to the victim.
• Broken bones. The victim of a dog attack could also suffer bone fractures if they get knocked to the ground in the attack. Some fractures will heal completely with time and appropriate care, but severe breaks may require surgical correction, result in nerve damage, and need extensive ongoing rehabilitative treatment.

These are just a few examples of the physical harm a person could suffer in a dog attack. Along with the physical pain of their injuries, the victim is also likely to experience severe psychological trauma. Many dog bite victims develop long-term anxiety around dogs, and some may even develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological symptoms from these experiences.

Building a Dog Bite Claim in Tucson

To recover from a dog bite in Tucson, you must prove your case meets the criteria of the strict liability rule. Arizona does not enforce a one-bite rule or any similar statutes. Therefore, a dog’s owner is responsible for all damage caused by their pet, no matter if the dog had a history of aggression. Once you have proven that you meet the criteria for the strict liability rule, your Tucson dog bite attorney can begin building your personal injury case.

You must be able to prove you suffered actual harm to proceed with any civil claim for damages. This means you need to show evidence that the incident in question resulted in some tangible or measurable losses. For most personal injury victims in Tucson, these will include the cost of the medical care they need to recover and other financial losses resulting from their experiences.

Under Arizona law, the plaintiff in a personal injury suit can seek recompense for:

• Medical treatment costs. You can hold the defendant accountable for all medical expenses you incur for treatment of your injuries. This includes immediate healthcare expenses like your hospital bills as well as costs associated with necessary ongoing care. For example, if you suffered injuries requiring multiple surgeries and long-term rehabilitation, the defendant is liable for all these medical expenses as long as you can prove they are the direct results of the dog attack in question.
• Lost income. Many people who experience personal injuries are left unable to work for extended periods. If this applies in your case, your Tucson dog bite attorney can help hold a defendant accountable for the income you were unable to earn during your recovery.
• Lost earning power. Unfortunately, dog attacks may cause severe injuries that lead to long recovery periods, and some victims are permanently disabled from these incidents. If this applies to your case, you can seek recompense for your lost future income. When a defendant is liable for a permanent loss of earning power, you need an experienced Tucson dog bite attorney who can help prove the full extent of the income you are no longer able to earn in the future.
• Property damage. If any of your personal property was damaged or destroyed in the dog attack, the defendant is responsible for all associated repair or replacement costs.

The average person may be able to account for immediately recognizable financial losses like the cost of their hospital treatment, lost wages from the time they were unable to work, and property damage. However, they are likely to struggle when it comes to proving the full extent of their future economic losses, like lost earning capacity.

When you hire Bleaman Law Firm, PC, as your legal representative, our goal is to uncover every possible channel of recovery that’s available in your claim and secure maximum compensation for your losses. We will help evaluate the total immediate and future economic damages you can seek from the defendant, and we will also aim for maximum pain and suffering compensation as well.

Calculating Pain and Suffering for a Dog Attack Claim in Tucson

The plaintiff in a dog attack case or any other personal injury claim not only can seek full repayment of their economic losses but also pain and suffering compensation. The average person is likely to think it will be difficult to assign monetary value to an intangible experience like physical pain or psychological distress, but a Tucson dog bite attorney can provide invaluable guidance on this aspect of your case.

Arizona law doesn’t place a monetary limit or cap on pain and suffering in personal injury cases. Depending on the severity of your experience, the pain and suffering compensation you secure with the help of your attorney may amount to several times more than the total of your economic damages.

Factors that determine the amount of pain and suffering compensation you could obtain in a dog attack case include the severity of your injuries, whether they caused any long-term or permanent harm, and the psychological impact of the incident.

Proving the level of pain and suffering you experienced may require input from medical professionals, such as your primary care team and any mental health professionals who have treated your psychological symptoms since the attack.

The Bleaman Law Firm, PC, will work closely with all the medical professionals who have assisted with your recovery to compile the evidence needed to justify a claim for the maximum amount of pain and suffering compensation possible.

Potential Variables That May Impact Your Case Award

After you have your Tucson dog bite attorney assess your total economic damages and determine a fair amount of pain and suffering compensation to include with your claim, other factors may ultimately impact your final case award.

Therefore, if the dog owner was negligent in the handling of their dog, or if the dog had a known history of aggression and the owner failed to meet handling requirements for the dog, these factors could enhance your recovery in the form of punitive damages.

The same would apply if the dog owner coerced their dog into attacking you intentionally. In any case involving severe negligence or intentional misconduct, the dog owner is likely to face criminal prosecution in addition to their liability for the victim’s civil damages.

One variable that could diminish your case award would be comparative fault. Arizona upholds a pure comparative fault rule that comes into play any time a plaintiff shares liability for their damages with a defendant.

Under this rule, the plaintiff will have a portion of fault assigned by the judge handling their case. The plaintiff’s fault percentage is then deducted as a penalty from their case award. Therefore, if the judge overseeing your case determines that you bear 10% liability for the incident in question, you would lose 10% of the total compensation recovered from the defendant.

What to Expect From Your Tucson Dog Bite Attorney

Your civil claim for damages could escalate to a very complex legal battle between you and the owner of the dog that bit you, and it is vital to prepare accordingly by hiring legal counsel you can trust.

When you hire the Bleaman Law Firm, PC to handle your dog bite claim, we can begin by gathering the evidence needed to firmly assert strict liability against the dog owner. This may include video camera footage if any cameras recorded the incident, testimony from witnesses who saw the attack happen, and statements of the parties involved.

Once we have helped you prove liability for your damages, we can then move on to establishing the scope of your claimable damages.

Our team knows how to maximize your recovery by seeking compensation for both immediate and future financial losses resulting from your dog attack. After proving the scope of the economic damages that you can claim from the defendant, the next step of your case will be proving the level of pain and suffering you endured from the incident and seeking as much compensation as possible for these intangible losses.

Most of the personal injury cases filed each year end in settlement negotiations. This private process allows the parties involved in the case to reach mutually acceptable terms as long as they are willing to negotiate.

During settlement, the plaintiff and defendant meet privately along with their respective attorneys to discuss a set of terms to resolve the case. This process allows both parties to avoid the time investment, stress, and expense that litigation would require.

When settlement is not a viable option for any reason, the case will need to go to trial. If you must litigate your case, the judge overseeing the case will have the final say regarding every aspect of your recovery. Bleaman Law Firm, PC, will aim to settle your dog bite claim as quickly as possible, but if we must take your claim to court for any reason, you can rest assured that we are fully prepared to provide the litigation support needed to reach a positive outcome.

Ultimately, every dog bite victim will face different legal challenges as they seek recompense for their losses, and every case has the potential to escalate into a complex series of legal proceedings that demand the attention of experienced legal counsel.

When you hire the team at Bleaman Law Firm, PC, to represent you, you are investing in years of professional legal experience and a compassionate legal team ready to guide you to the optimal outcome in your case.

FAQs

Q: Can I File a Claim for a Disease Acquired From a Dog Bite?

A: A dog attack can result in much more than physical injuries. Dogs are capable of transmitting diseases to humans through bites and scratches, some of which can impose dire medical complications on victims. Under Arizona’s strict liability rule, the owner of the dog that attacked you is responsible for all damages their pet caused. This not only includes the cost of treating physical injuries but also illnesses acquired from the incident. Your Tucson dog bite attorney can be invaluable for helping you prove the scope of the effects you experienced from the dog attack in question.

Q: What Are the Defenses a Dog Owner May Use to Avoid Liability for a Bite?

A: The two prerequisites a victim must fulfill to assert strict liability for a dog bite are a legal presence at the location of the attack and lack of provocation. If the victim was legally present wherever the attack occurred, strict liability would apply. However, if the victim was trespassing on private property and the property owner’s dog attacked them, the owner would not be liable for the trespasser’s injuries. Similarly, if the victim provoked the attack in any way, such as attacking the dog or the dog’s owner, the dog is expected to act in self-defense and in defense of its owner, and strict liability would not apply.

Q: What Happens to the Dog After It Attacks Someone in Tucson?

A: Arizona law will require the dog to be quarantined for 10 days following an attack, and it will undergo a veterinary examination. This is done to assess the dog’s temperament and likelihood of causing additional injuries in the future and to rule out communicable diseases. In most cases, the dog is returned to the owner after this 10-day period, and the court may impose specific instructions for the owner to follow to prevent their dog from attacking again in the future. If the dog is determined to be too dangerous, the court may order it to be destroyed.

Q: How Long Do I Have to File a Civil Claim for a Dog Attack?

A: If you intend to file any type of civil claim for damages, you must meet the applicable statute of limitations or time limit for your claim. In Arizona, the time limit for filing personal injury claims is two years from the date an injury occurs. Failure to meet this deadline could mean losing your ability to claim compensation for your damages. While it is important to fully investigate the details of your case to ensure you are seeking maximum compensation with your complaint, you do not want to wait too long, and it is generally wise to seek legal counsel as soon as possible after a dog attack so you can start your claim quickly.

Q: How Much Can I Claim for a Dog Attack in Tucson?

A: Under the personal injury statutes, the owner of the dog that attacked you is liable for all damages from the attack. These damages may include the cost of the medical care you need to recover, lost income from the time you cannot work during your recovery, any property damage caused by the dog, and your pain and suffering. Ultimately, many factors can influence the total potential value of your case, so it is advisable to connect with an experienced attorney who will know how to maximize the recompense you obtain from the defendant.

Q: How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Tucson Dog Bite Attorney?

A: The attorneys at Bleaman Law Firm, PC, do not want to add to your financial concerns when you are already struggling in the aftermath of a damaging dog attack. We make our legal counsel accessible to those who need it most with contingency fee billing. With this billing system, the client only pays a legal fee if we win their case, and the fee they pay is a percentage of the total compensation we secure for their damages. If our firm cannot obtain recovery for your dog bite claim for any reason, you pay nothing, and there are no upfront or ongoing attorneys’ fees when you hire our firm to handle your case.

The Bleaman Law Firm, PC, has successfully represented a wide variety of personal injury claims on behalf of Tucson clients, including those arising from dog attacks. We know how damaging and traumatic these incidents can be and the many legal questions a victim is likely to have in the aftermath of a dog attack. Our firm can help you assert the strict liability rule, uncover the full breadth of damages you can claim from the defendant, and lead you through the process of holding them accountable for these losses. If you want to learn how a seasoned Tucson dog bite attorney can empower your recovery efforts, contact us today to schedule your consultation with our team.